Sarkisian Talks Changes to Running Back Room

 After sophomore running back Jerrick Gibson decided to leave the team to utilize a redshirt for the season, there has been movement in the running back room, as two new players have entered the conversation.

Freshman athlete Michael Terry III, who’s been with the wide receivers so far this season, was reported by Inside Texas to be working with the running backs on Wednesday during practice.

Furthermore, it also appears as though sophomore Ryan Niblett, who was originally recruited as a cornerback but has been getting reps at running back throughout the season, has officially made the move to the running back room.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian commented on Terry’s move on Thursday.

“[Terry is] now in the running back room, and he’s been very impressive,” Sarkisian said. “He’s been playing scout team running back for us the last three weeks. He’s been doing it, but now he’s in the room. We’ll see if he’s ready for Saturday or not, or over time. He’s like Ryan Niblett. When you can learn all of the offense, now you can become a real weapon in the sense of is he lining up at wide receiver? Is he lining up at running back? Is he motioning in or out of both? That can create some opportunities for you there as we continue to grow his role. Been thoroughly impressed with Michael. He is an unbelievable athlete. Very smart. I think he’s a guy who can help us as we continue to grow his role in the program.”

The main question is whether or not he’ll be ready to go on Saturday, when Texas faces Kentucky. It would be interesting to see if Terry does get some reps, because Niblett has been getting some already, but it won’t be entirely necessary for Terry to.

Terry will have to fight to earn those reps, as he still has four other healthy running backs ahead of him, including Niblett. Meanwhile, running back CJ Baxter is still waiting to make his return from injury.

But Terry is currently listed at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds on Texas’ roster, so he’d be a good physical back to replace Gibson with. If he can earn some reps and make the most of them on Saturday, then it might become a trend through the rest of the season.

We’ll see what happens when the Longhorns hit the field in Lexington on Saturday to face the Kentucky Wildcats at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Longhorns are currently favored by 12.5 points, according to BetMGM.